Hypericum prolificum #2 (Shrubby St. Johns-Wort)

Shrubby St. John’s-Wort is a small, easy-to-grow, cheerful, summer blooming shrub native to the eastern half of North America. In the wild, it is found in a range of different growing conditions, from swamp margins to rocky ledges and sandy meadows to open woods. It is extremely adaptable and hardy, making it a go-to plant for difficult areas of the landscape. It tends to seed itself around when it is happy, which can be an asset for large naturalized areas, but not always a good thing for more orderly gardens. This shrub is avoided by mammalian herbivores due to its toxic foliage, so it tends to be plentiful where it is planted due to selective browsing. It is good at occupying ground and preventing the establishment of non-native, invasive species.

The radiant yellow flowers have a pompom-like cluster of stamens in the center, drawing in bees from far and wide. Bumblebees are their main pollinators, which retrieve copious amounts of pollen to feed their larva. The flowers are a lovely midsummer treat for bees and gardeners alike.

*This is not the species renowned for its medicinal properties which is the non-native, invasive in this region Hypericum perforatum. 

Sources:
Native Trees, Shrubs, & Vines by William Cullina
Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael A. Dirr
Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees by Charlotte Adelman & Bernard L. Schwartz
Missouri Botanical Garden
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Illinois Wildflowers

Photo Credits:
Flowering: Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons